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Friday, September 5, 2014

RUDY DRAWS A MAP!

WHEN IS A CHILD MOST ENGAGED?

That's quite a question. Hopefully there is a different answer for each child, and in general hopefully we are looking for constant clues from the child related to what they say and do to recognize the invitations to learn which we can present as guides.

Welcome back to my blog! For those who are new, my name is Enrique and I'm the Founder of the F.A.M.E. Foundation. We work with children, teachers and parents all over the world with organizations like our partners in Los Angeles, MyTown Music, Arts Integration Solutions and many others. One of our long time partnering organizations is Child-Parent Centers Inc., in Tucson, Arizona. Thanks to all my colleagues and friends there... you are brilliant human beings!

To kick off this blog, read the following which documents the basic's of how Rudy, age 4, was engaged by his teacher.

Pretty amazing, right? There is so much that these teachers do so well. Among them is the asking of questions which engage the child's natural sense of curiosity. Below you can sense the body language of Rudy. Off to draw a map to the garden he goes... oh and there is so much more that happens in context!

Along the way, Rudy notices new things that perhaps he had not noticed before. The experience of how observing is different than looking is a huge life skill.

Revision is another fantastic skill Rudy experienced by observing things more than once, drawing them, observing some more, and then making changes to show more detail. What if every young learner was excited when they heard the word revision? Hmmm...

Rudy notices colors, shapes and begins to attach this a growing vocabulary... and all the while acting as an explorer, a scientist, an engaged learner.

Rudy continued to experience the idea of "What Else?" Looking for depth of knowledge over time transfers to growing our depth of being.... profound and all experienced in a play-based setting.

I LOVE this image of notes! My Foundation has been working with this center on many things, including how to write music, write songs, and connect that to math. Well... it looks like Rudy noticed that on his journey of creating a map!

It looks like Rudy has arrived at his destination... the GARDEN!

I present to you Rudy's Map of how to get to the garden at his center for learning, his home away from home. Bravo Rudy and Bravo Child-Parent Centers!